Bears are expected to take one last hit from the failed Justin Fields Era after latest Week 16 injury news
A few months back, the Chicago Bears made another franchise altering move to trade away former first round pick Justin Fields in favor of selecting the team's next franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.The Bears opted to do right by Fields in the trading, sending him to […]
A few months back, the Chicago Bears made another franchise altering move to trade away former first round pick Justin Fields in favor of selecting the team's next franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Bears opted to do right by Fields in the trading, sending him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that would give him the opportunity to play meaningful snaps, even though it meant passing up a potentially higher return.
When the deal was finalized, the Steelers sent Chicago a conditional 2025 draft pick for the 25-year-old dual threat quarterback.
The condition of those terms stated that if Fields played 51% or more of the Steelers' snaps, Pittsburgh would have to send a fourth-rounder to Chicago. If he played under that 51%, the Steelers would send a sixth-rounder.
At first, things looked good for the Bears getting that fourth round pick. Heading into the start of the regular season, Fields' top competition in the room, quarterback Russell, was dealing with a calf issue that forced him to miss the first six games of the season. Fields started all six of those games and played 100% of the snaps in five of the six.
However, despite leading the team to a 4-2 record through six weeks, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin opted to make a change at the position with Wilson finally healthy. Fields was pushed to the sidelines but still had designed plays in the game plans to maximize the talents of both quarterbacks.
"He is a viable and capable dude," Tomlin said about Fields back in late November. "It’s something that our opponents have to be aware of. When we use it or how much we utilize it will be dependent on plans week to week… There’s a strategic component that I won’t get into detailing, but, we feel comfortable with how we infuse it and when we infuse it."
After making the change, Fields did not play in Week 7, was ruled out in Week 8 and Week 9 due to a thumb injury. Once healthy, Fields has played 11 total offensive snaps in the last five games.
Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Fields only appeared on one snap and rushed for eight yards on the play. However, after taking a late slide, Fields took a big hit from Eagles' safety Reed Blankenship, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness. After taking the hit, Fields did not return to the field the rest of the game.
And now the latest injury news likely seals the fate for the Bears' draft pick compensation. On Thursday, the Steelers ruled out Fields with an abdominal injury for the team's Week 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
This season, Wilson has played 523 offensive snaps while Fields has played 408 offensive snaps. With the Steelers averaging 66 offensive snaps a game, another full game by Wilson will give him somewhere around 586 snaps with two games left to go. Based on that average of 66 offensive plays, that would put Wilson on pace to play 52% of the total snaps and Fields at 48% of the total snaps.
So, barring any major changes to the lineup and quick healing for Fields' injury, go ahead and count on a sixth-round pick coming back to Chicago. If that's indeed the case, here's what the team's draft picks would look like:
- 2025 first-round
- 2025 second-round
- 2025 second-round (via Panthers)
- 2025 third-round
- 2025 fifth-round
- 2025 sixth-round (via Steelers)
- 2025 sixth-round (via Dolphins)
As for Fields, the young quarterback's rookie contract will expire after the 2024 season comes to a close, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. The Steelers have made it clear they are willing to stick with Wilson as the starter going into the 2025 season, meaning Fields will find a new home once again. Given his age and abilities, Fields will have a lot of interest on the open market.
And for the Bears, Chicago seems to be pretty happy with the decision and their new quarterback going into the future.
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